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Ballads and Legends > Tortall Canon > Points of Interest



Title: Points of Interest
Description: Under Construction


Administrator - April 15, 2007 01:09 AM (GMT)
Points of Interest


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Table of Contents
I. Magic
-- A. Gift
-- B. Sight
-- C. Wild Magic
-- D. Trinkets, Charms, and Balms
-- E. Beastary
II. Daily Living
-- A. Clothing
---- 1. Men
---- 2. Woman
---- 3. Fabrics & Dye's
-- B. Hygeine
-- C. Jobs
III. Military
-- A. The Groups
---- 1. Knights
------- Training
---- 2. Queen's Riders
------- Training
---- 3. King's Own
------- Training
---- 4. Provost
------- Training
-- B. Weapons
-- C. Terms
IV. Horses
-- A. Colors
-- B. Breeds
---- 1. Hot-blooded
---- 2. Warm-blooded
---- 3. Cold-blooded
-- C. Tack and Equipement
---- 1. Saddles
---- 2. Bridles
-- D. Notes


I'm always up to suggestions on what else should be added! =)

Administrator - April 15, 2007 01:10 AM (GMT)
I. Magic


A. the Gift
"Human, academic magic, the us of which must be taught."

The Gift comes in a variaty of colors, powers, and forms. Listed below are the levels of powers:
  • Basic: this includes simple spells that a tutor can easily teach, such as lighting a small fire (i.e: candles), purifying water, mending scratches, dulling pain (but not completely), releiving headaches, minor defensive spells, minor communication spells (which require a medium); in short, nothing major. The color is never flashy, and trying any spells above will knock the owner out for they do not have much magic in reserve. Most mages with a basic power, do not attend universities.
  • Mild:
  • Adverage:
  • Strong:
The next listed dictates possible powers for the Gift, but not all:
  • Water
  • Ice
  • Air
  • Fire
  • Divination
  • Weather Aspects
  • Defensive
  • Offensive
  • Healing
  • Earth
  • Metal-working
  • Communication
  • Camouflage
  • Movement
It is to be noted that some Gift colors run in families and others represent its carrier's specility. Stronger gifts have been known to leak into eye color, altering them to colors such as orange, red, and purple. Sometimes the color changes if new knowledge is learned, or it might turn lighter due to age. Though drastic changes are rare, as it would require a corruption, whether through personality or mixing the gift with another.

The University at Corus, Tortall and in Carthak are highly regarded as having the best facilities when it comes to learning about the gift. Although other countries do have Universities that offer mage studies, they are not up to par with the Tortallan and Carthaki teachings. However, all follow the same guidelines as far as robe colors go:
  • White: plain or with trim, indicate a novice
  • Yellow: one who successfully completed their white years, may go for further training, equivalent to a modern-day bachelor's degree
  • Scarlet: one who successfully completed their yellow years, maybe go for further training, equivalent to a modern-day master's degree
  • Black: one who successfully completed their scarlet years, may try for a black robe - completion requires mastery and understanding of the words of power is required; equivalent to a doctorate. It is not always promised if one should enter a black robe study, that they will receive a black robe, as the words of power can kill.
Any solid colored robe, with a trim on the hem and sleeves, indicates that that person is a journeyman.

B. the Sight
"[An] Aspect of the magical Gift that gives its holders certain advantages in the matters of vision. It can be erratic, showing holders only lies, illness, magic or future importance. In its fullest form, it can allow the holder to see clearly over distance, see tiny things in sharp detail, and to detect illness, lies, godhood, magic, death, and other aspects of life."

C. Wild Magic
"Magic that is part of the natural world. Unlike the gift, it cannot be drained or done away with; it is always present."
  1. for Nature:
  2. for Animals:

D. Trinkets, Charms, & Balms
  • Pregnancy Charm: most woman are given a pregnancy charm when they begin their monthlies, and it prevents them from becoming pregnant, unless the charm placed on the pendent is no good. The reason why most are given this charm is for safety, to protect bloodlines.
  • Bruise Balm: a favorite among pages, it eases the pain off of bruises, which helps them heal quicker.

E. Beastary

--basilisk: immortal (cannot be killed by old age or disease), lizard-like creature, can be seven to nine feet tall, walks erect, is skilled with languages, possesses a shriek that can turn its targets to stone.

--centaur: an immortal shaped like a human from the waist up, with the body of a horse from the waist down. Like humans they can be good, bad, or a mixture of both.

--Coldfang: an immortal that resembles a giant lizard with pebbled skin. Its colors vary. Its power relies on its ability to track a theif down until capture, no matter how cold the trail or how long it takes. Its weapon is bitter cold; its pace slow but inexorable.

--darkings: creature made in the Divine Realms that has evolved into an independent being; small, blob-like, able to manipulate shape, reproduce by splitting, capable of though and learning; some reside in the Dragonlands in Divine Realms, others have returned to Mortal Realms.

--dragon: a large, winged, lizard-like immortal capable of crossing the Divine Realms to the mortal ones and back. Dragons are intelligent, possess their own magic, and are rarely seen by humans. They also change colors to suit their mood.

--griffin: feathered immortal with a cat-like body, wings, and a beak. Males grow to a height of six and half to seven feet at the shoulder; females are slightly bigger. No one can tell lies in a griffins vicinity (a range of about a hundred feet). Their young have bright orange feathers to make them more visible. If adult griffin parents sense that a human has handled their infant griffin, they will try to kill that human.

--hurrok: immortal shaped like a horse with leathery bat wings, claws, and fangs.

--kraken: an immortal in the shape of an octopus, with near a hundred tentacles, and his mantle a mile and a half-long. It lives in the deepest, coldest parts of the ocean, allowing it to avoid being sealed up in the Divine Realms centuries ago. Its preys are ships and whales, giving it the nicknames of 'ship killer' and 'man-hunter'.

--kudarung: Kyprish (raka) term for winged horses

--skinners: an immortal that is wet, flesh colored, and walks on two legs. They lack ears, eyes, noses and mouths, and forge on living things through what they touch, and what they touch will appear on their skin, be it bark, fur, colors, before disappearing.

--spidren: an immortal whose body is that of a giant furred spider four to five feet in height; its head is that of a human, with sharp, silvery teeth. Spidrens can use weapons. They also use their webs as weapons and ropes. Spidren web is gray-green in color, and glows after dark.Their blood is black and burns like acid. Their favorite food is human blood.

--stormwing: immortal with a human head and chest and bird legs and wings, with steel feathers and claws. Stormwings have very sharp teeth, but use them only to add to the terror of their presence by tearing apart bodies. They live on human feat and have their own magic; their special province is the descration of battlefield dead. (They have a liking for children)

--tauros: a seven-foot tall immortal, male only, that has a bull-like head with large teeth and eyes that point forward (the mark of a predator). It is reddish-brow, human-like from the neck down, with a bull's splayed hooves and tail. It preys on woman and girls.

--wyverns: immortal; a giant, winged, legless dragon that breathes a yellow fog that gives humans a dry, long-lasting cough, and makes eyees burn and blur. They must obey and order from their dragon cousins, but they can resist.

Administrator - April 15, 2007 01:10 AM (GMT)
II. Daily Living


A. Clothing

--Men

--Women

--Fabrics

--Dye

B. Hygeine

C. Jobs

Administrator - April 15, 2007 01:10 AM (GMT)
III. Military


A. The Groups

--Knights
  • A female may choose if they wished to be called 'Sir' or 'Lady Knight'.
  • Training starts on the ttenth fall of a child's life. They must complete four years of pagedom, and four years of squiredom. After the completion of four years as squiredom, they become knights by surviving the Chamber of the Ordeal.
  • It is forbiddon for knights to discuss what they have seen in the Ordeal.
  • It is said that any page or squire who sets foot in the Chamber of the Ordeal will not pass into knighthood.
  • The Chamber is life-changing; many squires go in and don't come out the same.
--Queen's Riders
  • Most Rider groups have a nickname:
    1. First Rider Group // The First
    2. Second Rider Group // Ghostwind
    3. Third Rider Group // Webspinners
    4. Fourth Rider Group // The Queen's Rabbits
    5. Fifth Rider Group // Clouds
    6. Sixth Rider Group // Thayet's Dogs
    7. Seventh Rider Group // Nightbreath
    8. Eigth Rider Group // Soft Lightning
    9. Ninth Rider Group // Ogre Bane
    10. Tenth Rider Group // Royal Arrows
    11. Eleventh Rider Group // Trollwatch
    12. Twelfth Rider Group // Spiderdeath
    13. Thirteenth Rider Group // Razors
    14. Fourteenth Rider Group // Gret's Shadows
    15. Fifeteenth Rider Group // Stickers
    16. Sixteenth Rider Group
    17. Seventeenth Rider Group // Group Askew
  • The Riders are open to all ranks
  • Training starts at age fifeteen and up; training is for two years.
  • Most groups consist of about seven-eight Riders, a medic, a mage, a Lieutenant, and regular riders.
  • All Riders are provided with two ponies, or two horses for the exceptional tall.
  • Their badge is a scarlet horse on brown field; the Commander has a gold circle around
  • Armor consists of primarily leather, depending on the money the rider has.
    • --King's Own

    --Provost's Guard

    B. Weapon's

    C. Terms

    Administrator - April 15, 2007 01:11 AM (GMT)
    IV. Horses


    A. Colors
    • Appaloosa: All appaloosas have mottled skin, and hooves often have dark stripes down them. There are five patterns of an appaloosa: blanket (white hair over the hips; possible dark spots), marble (red- or blue-roans with dark dark colorings on the edge of the body and a white frost pattern in the middle), leopard (a white coat with dark spots), snowflake (spotting on the hips), and frost (white speckling on a dark coat).
    • Bay: A horse with a brown (ranging from light to mahogany) coat with a black mane and tail, occasionally accompanied with white markings on the face, or white stockings or socks. A bay horse almost always has black markings (pointes) on the muzzle, tips of the ears, mane, tail and the lower areas of the leg.
    • Black: A horse whose coat has no brown hairs on it, and only black. The mane and tail are black as well, and there can be white markings on the face and legs.
    • Brown: The coat is a mixture of brown and black hairs, the tail and mane always darker.
    • Chestnut: The body color is a reddish brown, the mane and tail either lighter (flaxen) or darker then the body color. Like bays, the chestnut ranges from bright, red, and liver chestnut. The horse may have white markings on it's face and legs.
    • Cream: The pigment of the skin is pale, and the coat a pale-cream color. The mane and tail are also a pale cream; it is impossible to discern white markings.
    • Dun: The skin is a dark pigment, but the coat is a beige or biscuit color with the same pointes as a bay. They may also have a dorsal stip, and may also have wither strips and zebra stripes on the legs.
    • Gray: The skin of the horse is dark, and the hairs of the coat are black and white. There are three types of gray: light gray (appears as white), flea-bitten (dark specks coating a white horse like freckles), iron (a dark gray), and dappled (white rings on a grey coat).
    • Palomino: A gold coat, with lighter mane and tail. They can have white markings on the legs below the knee, hock, or on the face.
    • Piebald: When a coat is covered with irregular patches of black and white. The mane and tail are two-toned; the mane will display the colorings on the neck.
    • Roan: White hairs are mixed evenly into the main coat color, and sometimes on the mane and tail. There are different shades of roan, such as straberry and red roan (white hairs with a chestnut or bay), blue roan (gray mixed with black, or black-and-brown, bodies), gray roan, and bay roan.
    • Skewbald: When the coat is covered with irregular patches of white and any color except black. The mane and tail are two-toned; the mane will display the colorings on the neck.
    B. Breeds (by Temperment)
    1. Hot-blooded
    2. Warm-blooded
    3. Cold-blooded

    C. Tack and Equipement
    1. Saddles
    2. Bridles
    D. Notes




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